Within the last decade, orthopedic surgeons have successfully attached an implant to distal femurs to replace the medial joint and the patellofemoral joint. While such an implant has provided some patients with substantial relief from knee ailments, many patients have not benefited from the implant. There are several reasons why such implants are not effective with some patients. One reason is based on the sizing of the implant, particularly relating to the medial, lateral, and the AP dimensions of the implant. Currently, there are only a limited number of standard sizes of implants for use by surgeons. Because of the limited selection of implants, surgeons are often unable to provide patients with correctly sized implants. Another reason for ineffective implants is the inability of the implant to properly rotate. The implant must be able to properly rotate for proper patellar tracking and for balancing the knee through a full range of motion. Unfortunately, the placement of a femoral implant in the proper rotation can be difficult for surgeons to accomplish in a reproducible fashion. As a result, the risk of surgeon error in the placement of femoral implants is relatively high. A third reason for ineffective implants is the lack of instrumentation available to surgeons to make cuts to the distal femur in a reproducible fashion.
Accordingly, there exists a need for an apparatus and method of using the apparatus to prepare the distal femur for a joint replacement in a customizable manner such that all patients can benefit from the implant.